Tag: Alter

Odin Sphere hit the Playstation 2 way back in 2007. This makes me feel REALLY old. At the end of 2008, Alter released this Gwendolyn figure for the first time. This was way before I started collecting, but from what I gather this figure was quite ahead of its time in terms of the sculpt and quality. It became a grail figure for many, to such an extent that she was re-released in 2010 (before re-releases became a somewhat common practice). I missed out on that one too, but then the powers that be ordained that Odin Sphere would get a remake for the new console generation.

Time to look at an oldie! Alter’s Black Hanekawa was first released in 2011, which is probably when I got it. Yeah that seems like something I’d do. It also had a release in 2013, probably coinciding with the return of the Monogatari series. For those unfamiliar with the character, Black Hanekawa is the possessed form of Tsubasa Haneekawa, a cat demon who sucks energy from her victims. I think her popularity is due to her sexy/cute attributes, as I didn’t find her story arc in Bakemonogatari to be all that great. If you’re Alter, though, story is but a trifling matter next to the character design.

Melty is a character from Shining Hearts, a game from a franchise that doesn’t get much exposure in the US. Tony Taka has been doing the character designs for the series, and while they’re all solid, I haven’t been very high on the figures they’ve engendered. I guess if anyone was going to change that, it would be Alter.

Unfortunately, no Halloween post from me as I was doing something more important (watching basketball)… but Alter’s new Asuka figure came in and I wanted to get a photo shoot done. I really like her world-weary pissed off look as it fits her character in Evangelion 3.33 well. And hey, shiny red buttocks.

I reviewed Yamato’s Kneesocks figure last month and came away very impressed by it. I had both Yamato’s and Alter’s versions sitting around, and thought Yamato’s would ultimately end up being the better Kneesocks. Still I figured I’d give Alter’s figure a fair shot sometime. Today my new macro lens arrived (apparently delayed by the “Midwest storm” that dropped a whole three inches of snow on us), so I decided to take it for a test run and do this review.

As I’ve often lamented, the problem with most women is that they don’t have airplanes for legs. There are many benefits to having airplane legs: increased mobility, making cool noises when you’re getting ready to go, and having a great excuse for not ever wearing pants. It’s strange that it’s 2012 and scientists haven’t yet figured out a way to combine miniature airplanes with women’s legs. So for the time being, we’ll have to leave that in the fictional world of Strike Witches.

Today I’m reviewing a figure that isn’t wearing a skimpy outfit, doesn’t have robust proportions, and is not posed so as to attract attention to her genitals or chest. No, this isn’t some ten cent whore that you’d find from a less reputable anime; it’s Kazaru Uiharu from A Certain Scientific Railgun.

Aya (no last name I guess) hails from The OneeChanbara VorteX, which got the unfortunate translation to Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad for its US release. I haven’t played it, but I’m guessing it’s the kind of game that reinforces the belief that gamers are immature. It certainly reinforces the idea that otaku or media from Japan are obsessed with sex, violence, and objectifying women. In some way I’d like to believe that the creators want us to admire them in their audacity. Bikini girls fighting zombies is pretty close to the line. Give her a pair of swords and a cowboy hat, and you push it far enough past the line that it becomes immune to criticism. That was probably the hope, anyway. But what can I say? From an eye-candy perspective, I like what I like.

It seems like manufacturers have long ago run out of ideas when it comes to Evangelion figures. The most creative ones I see are probably Sega’s prize figures. Almost all the other Evangelion scale figures seem to feature either Asuka or Rei in a plug suit. Thankfully an exception to the rule comes along once in a while, but this is not one of those times.

I picked up a pair of Alter releases a few weeks ago. One is Momohime from Muramasa: The Demon Blade. The other is Sanya from Strike Witches. There’s a lot of Momohime out there (rightly so) but not as much of Sanya, so I thought I’d give her some attention.